Which energy will be best for Switzerland? Doris ... - Schweizer Revue

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE SWISS ABROAD
AUGUST 2006 / NO. 4
Which energy will be best
for Switzerland?
Doris Leuthard – A fresh face
on the Federal Council
50 years after the first Swiss
conquest of Mount Everest

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EDITORIAL
CONTENTS
3
Raptures in red and white
AWhen the Swiss national football squad returned home after losing their World
Cup game against Ukraine, the players were welcomed at Zurich airport as if they
had won the competition. Even the missed penalties couldn’t dampen the fervour
that awaited the team on their arrival back in Switzerland. During the competition tens
of thousands of red-and-white-clad Swiss fans travelled to Germany, determined to turn
their side’s encounters into home games. Thousands watched the games on huge screens
in cities up and down the country, revelling in their team’s performance at the group stage
of the competition. Swiss flags and red t-shirts bearing the Swiss cross were everywhere.
The country was in party mood, the likes of which it had seldom seen. And even the side’s
unfortunate elimination in the second round didn’t dampen spirits for too long. After all,
the FIFA World Cup in Germany was just the beginning: “That was the World Cup. Now
for the European Championships. Roll on 2008”, wrote main sponsor Credit Suisse in
full-page ads, voicing the sentiments of Swiss football fans. In two years’ time, the Swiss
national squad could be playing for the European title in front of its home crowd. Then
the party will begin anew.
Rarely has Switzerland witnessed the type of enthusiasm for sportsmen shown to
the current national football squad and their coach, Jakob “Köbi” Kuhn. And never before
has Switzerland had a national squad that prompted so much support while embodying
a modern, open-minded country. Players like Senderos, Dzemaili, Djourou, Barnetta
and Cabanas are the multilingual sons and grandsons of immigrant families. Their
roots lie abroad, they play in Europe’s top leagues, and they are optimistic, ambitious and
proud to be Swiss. They may be reserved when facing the media, but they clearly affirm
their commitment to their country’s greatest possible success. They are self-confident
and sure of their Swiss identity: an attitude by no means taken for granted.
As recently as the 1990s, Switzerland drew attention to itself with the slogan “La
Suisse n’existe pas” (Switzerland doesn’t exist). The ‘68 generation, left-wingers and the
media in particular had major issues about being Swiss, and any
form of patriotism was equated with right-wing extremism. Flags
were the scorned synonym for the army and the right-wing bourgeoisie.
The end of the Cold War brought more relaxed attitudes.
Indeed, “Swissness” has even made a distinct comeback since
the Expo.02. Accessories bearing the Swiss cross are now extremely
trendy and big money-spinners.
The young people of today have a relaxed relationship with
Heinz Eckert
their home country and are proud of their red passport. They are
not alone: A representative survey found that 78 percent of respondents were proud to
be Swiss – up from 74 percent in 2004. In the past, national identity was never even questioned.
Sociologist Kurt Imhof sees this as a positive development. “Democracy needs a belief
in communality, and it’s good that identifying with one’s home country is no longer
the sole preserve of the Swiss People’s Party,” he says.
“It’s cool being Swiss,” a 28-year-old designer confessed in an interview.
Such sentiments are new to Switzerland. “Chauvinism is a matter of dosage,” said
literary critic Peter von Matt in an interview on the issue. “Controlled delivery is good
for you. It increases your joie-de-vivre and makes you adventurous. Ill-tempered self-flagellation
is unproductive in the long run.”
HEINZ ECKERT, CHEFREDAKTOR
5
Mailbag
5
Sounds: Jazz made in Switzerland
7
Images: Lake Lucerne
8
Which energy is best for Switzerland?
We ask the experts
13
Portrait: New face on the Federal Council
14
Official DFA information
16
Swiss Himalayan pioneers
18
Avenches - Rock in the arena
19
Politics: The new asylum law
20
OSA news
22
New services from Soliswiss
23
News in brief
Cover Photo:
Doris Leuthard, Federal Councillor. Keystone
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
IMPRESSUM: “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss Abroad, is in its 33rd year of publication and is published in German, French, Italian, English and Spanish in 21 regional editions.
It has a total circulation of over 380 000. Regional news appears four times a year.
■ EDITORSHIP: Heinz Eckert (EC), Editor-in-Chief; Rolf Ribi (RR), Alain Wey (AW), Gabriela Brodbeck (BDK), responsible for DFA Information Pages, Service for the Swiss Abroad DFA,
CH-3003 Berne. René Lenzin (RL), reporting from parliament. Translation: CLS Communication AG ■ POSTAL ADDRESS: Publisher, Editorial Office, Advertising: Organisation of the Swiss
Abroad, Alpenstrasse 26, CH-3006 Berne, Tel. +4131356 6110, Fax +4131356 61 01, Postal Account (Swiss National Giro) 30-6768-9. Internet: www.revue.ch ■ E-MAIL: revue@aso.ch
■ PRINT: Zollikofer AG, CH-9001 St.Gallen. ■ CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please advise your local Embassy or Consulate – do not write to Berne.
Single copy CHF 5.– ■

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Asylum Laws
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against the inhumane Swiss Asylum Laws that will be voted on this autumn. Please sign the
appeal „Swiss expatriates say NO to inhumane Swiss Asylum Laws“ to be published in a large
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information please contact SP’s international secretary Peter Hug: phug@spschweiz.ch
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THE MAGAZINE FOR THE SWISS ABROAD
JUNE 2006 / NO. 3
MAILBAG
SOUNDS
5
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Low-cost airlines
”Switzerland is becoming
the Mecca of lowcost
airlines,” wrote
In economic terms
Switzerland is a giant
The Lavaux to become
Lorenzo Vasella in the
World Heritage Site
Greens now the
centre-right alternative
April issue of the
”Swiss Review”. In
view of the upgrading of Basel
Airport, that sounds rather
positive. However what the article
does not say is that not
only does easyJet manage to fly
at lower cost than other airlines
because it limits itself to supplying
basic transport. Even
when flying to airports within
the European Union, easyJet
does not abide by EU regulations
on the protection of passengers’
rights. Whereas other
airlines look after their passengers
when flights are cancelled
due to bad weather, for example,
and limit the damage
caused by helping passengers
find alternate transport to their
destination, easyJet takes a ”not
our problem” approach towards
its customers. Precisely
this happened to us, for example,
and two-and-a-half months
later we still haven’t been reimbursed
the cost of the tickets
we paid for long in advance (according
to the relevant EU Directive,
airlines must refund
customers within a week).
DR. EVA LACOUR AND PAUL DINGER,
ANSCHAU, GERMANY
Culture shock
Firstly I’d like to say that I always
enjoy reading the ”Swiss
Review”, which keeps me informed
about happenings in
today’s Switzerland in an attractively
succinct and yet
readable and interesting manner.
Many thanks for that! I
have just finished reading your
April issue. Being far removed
from agricultural matters, your
article about the state of farming
in Switzerland was a real
culture shock for me. I understand
the economic, labour,
competition, political, social,
growth and many
other considerations,
but I still get the
graphic impression
that the Swiss government
is in the process
of sawing off one of the
four arms of its famous white
cross on a red background; literally
mutilating its own identity!
Yes, so much stupidity at
once really is saddening, even
for those of us whose livelihoods
are not touched by it.
A. I. OPHIR, K-YAM, ISRAEL
Franz Weber and the Lavaux
Oh yes, the Lavaux certainly is
beautiful! And the region merits
all the attention it gets.
But what a mistake not to
have mentioned the name of
environmentalist Franz Weber
even once in your article. Noone
should have a memory that
short!
Love him or hate him, it is
largely thanks to Weber that
property developers and other
destroyers of the countryside
have been kept well away from
the magnificent Lavaux. Franz
Weber faced almost unanimous
opposition in 1977 when he
launched the ”Save Lavaux”
campaign: to great success. It
was a case of da capo al fine in
the autumn of 2005, when the
indefatigable ecologist successfully
fought his second ”Save
Lavaux” campaign after the
wine-growing region was downgraded
by Vaud’s new cantonal
constitution.
So let’s give Weber his due,
and the Lavaux will be the better
for it.
NICOLE ALLEMANN RUCHTI,
LANGUEDOC, FRANCE
Swiss jazz has long stepped out of the shadows, and is now
increasingly attracting international attention. This is confirmed
by a selection of recently-released albums.
Zurich-based pianist and band leader Irène Schweizer is
one of Switzerland’s internationally acclaimed jazz musicians
alongside percussionist Pierre Favre and fellow pianist
and band leader George Gruntz. No-one else in Switzerland
plays the 88 black-and-white keys like she does;
constantly exploring new avenues, tirelessly improvising,
playful and innovative, whether in a duo (often with drummers)
or a big band with saxophonists like Co Streiff and
Omri Ziegele. The 14 tracks on “Portrait” (Intakt CD 105)
and a comprehensive booklet invite listeners on a journey
through her work.
Does Swiss jazz yodel? For the past 20 years, more and
more Swiss jazzmen and women have focused on their musical
heritage. The “Alpentöne” (Alpine Sounds) festival takes place
every other year. The “Alpentöne 05” sampler (Musiques Suisses
MGB CD 6263) contains not only lots of exciting music but also no
fewer than three versions of the famous “Guggisberglied”. The Zurich
Jazz Orchestra also addresses matters Swiss in “Beyond Swiss
Tradition” (Universal 987 512-1). The result is a mixture of traditional
music and new, folklore-based compositions with a swinging
big band jazz sound. It’s light and uncomplicated, but thoroughly
enjoyable. The Tritonus group presents more challenging
fare consisting of old Swiss music played on original instruments.
“Alpan” (Zytglogge ZYT 4901) is a search for new sounds and links
up with musicians in other genres, for instance the young Herisau-born
jazz saxophonist Reto Suhner.
And the pianists? Despite his youth, 24-year-old Colin Vallon
from Western Switzerland is hugely talented. His debut album “Les
Ombres” (Unit Records UTR4145 CD), in which he plays as part of
a trio, is proof of his amazing maturity and skill. His swinging,
bubbly music is pleasant to listen to without being superficial,
and occasionally reminiscent of Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand).
The music of 35-year-old pianist Nik Bärtsch and his band Ronin
is rather unusual. The compelling strains on “Rea” (Tonus Music
Records TON 15) could be described as Zen funk; a stupendous
blend of James Brown, minimal music, Japanese ritual music, ambient
and jazz – in short, hypnotising music.
Bebop meets New Orleans: Australian trombonist Adrian Mears
lives in Germany. Drummer Jeff Boudreaux is from New Orleans,
though just like fellow American pianist Peter Madsen he lives
in Vorarlberg. Together with the superb Bernese saxophonist
Domenic Landof and driving bassist Stephan Kurmann from
Basel they make up the New Orleans Hardbop ensemble. On “Jump
On In” (TCB 25202), this dynamic quintet really lets rip with
hell-raising, swinging, uniquely New Orleans grooves with
distinct echoes of Monk, blues and Eddie Harris. The excellent
Harry’s Satchmo All Stars is just one of the many bands in Switzerland
that play good old New Orleans jazz. To celebrate their
20th anniversary, they’ve produced “Happy Birthday” (Euro Top
EU 333 1882), a thrilling tribute to the unforgettable Louis Armstrong.
Jazz made in Switzerland
RICHARD BUTZ, born 1943; A journalist, author, adult education teacher and
cultural educator, Butz lives and works in St. Gallen, where he has been listening
to and collecting jazz for more than 50 years. buewik-butz@freesurf.ch

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IMAGES
7
Lake Lucerne. Lake Lucerne has always been a source of inspiration for
artists. In its summer exhibition, Lucerne Art Museum presents a selection of
the immense body of pictures of the lake. The range of works on display spans
everything from William Turner to Alexandre Calame and photographic artist
Gerhard Richter. But there are also contemporary works produced specially for
the show. The exhibition runs until 10 October.
Gerhard Richter, 1969 Wiliam Turner, 1844
Ludwig Vogel, 1848 Cecil Wick, 2006
Ernst Stückelberg, 1879
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Photos: Kunstmuseum Luzern, Copyright Pro Litteris
Alexandre Calame, 1849 Lovis Corinth, 1924

8
THE FUTURE OF ENERGY SUPPLY
Which energy is best for Switzerland?
The future of energy supply is currently a hotly-debated issue in our country. The Federal Council
and environmental groups have a vision of a “2000 watt society”, while electricity utilities dream
about a “renaissance of nuclear power”.
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Energy Minister Moritz Leuenberger created
waves last year when he announced, “In
the coming decades, the Federal Council will
work towards realising the vision of a 2000
watt society. In this vision, per-capita consumption
of energy would not exceed 2000
watts – that is, between a half and a third of
the current level in this country. Such visions
are not illusory.” This target is to be met by
making machines, motor vehicles and buildings
more efficient and capitalising on the
potentials offered by renewable energy.
Switzerland is currently witnessing a repeat
of the policy debate that raged back in
the 1970s and 80s. Once again, the talk is
about energy scenarios for the coming years,
fears of electricity deficits, and the possible
construction of new nuclear or natural gasdriven
power plants. And yet again, utility
operators and their corporate interests are
pitted against the brash and well-researched
promoters of modern alternative energy
sources.
Energy prospects for Switzerland
This spring the Federal Office for Energy
(SFOE) published its guidelines for a future
energy policy for Switzerland. Its prognoses
for the period 2035-2050 suggest that demand
for electricity could increase by as
much as 24 percent, and warns of ”persistent
electricity shortfalls” by about 2020 because
the three smaller nuclear power stations in
Beznau and Mühleberg will be taken off the
grid and electricity supply contracts with
France will begin to expire.
The SFOE has therefore announced a
three-pronged strategy to secure power supplies:
Firstly, broad technical improvements
in energy efficiency; secondly, developing extra
capacities for renewable energies such as
geothermal power (heat from deep underground),
photovoltaic energy (transforming
light into direct current using photoelectric
cells), biomass or wood as well as the expansion
of hydroelectric power (technical upgrades,
small-scale power plants); and thirdly
constructing fossil thermal plants with optimised
re-use of waste heat (combined gas
power plants). Interestingly enough, the
SFOE is not planning to build new nuclear
power plants for the time being because of
the lengthy approval process and lack of a solution
for disposing of nuclear waste.
Call for “major action”
Environmental organisations are urging gutsier,
more specific measures than the Swiss
authorities. Yet they are pursuing the same
aim of an environmentally friendly “2000
watt society” as the Federal Council. ”We
must reduce our energy consumption by twothirds
by 2050,” they say. They are also calling
for “major action”, specifically employing
the best technology for all investment
and consumer decision-making; control taxes
on all energy sources; stricter technical
norms for electrical devices; the Minergie
standard for insulation, windows and heat recovery
in new and renovated houses; and
cost-covering prices for electricity supplied
from alternative sources.
Environmentalists say the following are essential
in order to meet the ambitious target
of creating a “2000 watt society”: better
technology (from heating systems to electric
motors), better houses (insulation), better
transport (cars that consume less than 3.5 litres
of fuel per 100 kilometers, hybrid buses),
less driving (for business and pleasure) and
more renewable energy.
A nuclear power renaissance?
The electricity industry has very different
objectives. The “Preview of electricity supply
in Switzerland in the period 2035-2050”
by the industry’s umbrella organisation
points to a deficit in electricity supply from
2020 onwards. It says cuts in electricity consumption
are “unrealistic in the long term.”
And it suggests that the proportion of domestic
electricity production covered by renewable
(wind, photovoltaic, biomass and
geothermal) energy “would not exceed 10
percent for a long time.” Three variations are
proposed for bridging the gap between electricity
supply and demand: new nuclear
power plants, natural gas combined-cycle
plants, and a combination of natural gas and
atomic power.
“Nuclear power must play a major role in
Swiss electricity supply in the long term,” the
nuclear lobby says. This has reignited the debate
over nuclear power in Switzerland.
Power companies are even talking about a
“renaissance for nuclear power” and enthusing
about the new European 1600-megawatt
EPR pressurised water reactor.
Energy expert Rudolf Rechsteiner says the
high cost of investing in nuclear power makes
it “uncompetitive in a free market”. Given
the political risks involved, it remains to be
seen whether private investors like banks will
invest in nuclear technology. Martin Bäumle,
a scientist and Green National Councillor,
says, “No-one can guarantee geological and
social stability for the 10,000 years it takes
to isolate highly radioactive waste.”
Polls carried out this spring show that the
Swiss remain split over the issue of nuclear
power. Asked “Should the nuclear power
plants in use today be replaced by a new generation
of nuclear power plants?”, 46 percent
of respondents answered Yes, and 51 percent
No. The future of atomic energy in Switzerland
will eventually be decided by voters at
home and abroad. The proposed Nuclear
Power Act will be put to an obligatory referendum
in a move to seek grass-roots approval
for new nuclear power plants. ROLF RIBI
DOCUMENTATION:
www.energiestiftung.ch (Swiss Energy Foundation,
Greenpeace Switzerland, Transport and Environment
Association, WWF Switzerland) – www.strom.ch
(Swiss Electricity Producers’ and Distributors’ Association)
– www.iea.org (International Energy Agency,
World Energy Outlook)

9
“Swiss Review” put 9 questions on Swiss energy policy to three experts. The replies by Walter
Steinmann (Director of the Federal Office for Energy), Daniel Spreng (a professor of energy
policy at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich) and Rudolf Rechsteiner (a Social-
Democrat National Councillor) can be found on the following pages.
01
Last year, for the first
time ever, Switzerland
consumed more electricity
than it produced. Carbon
dioxide emissions are higher
than in 1990, and there are
still no control taxes on energy
producers. What sort of sustainable
(and constitutionally
enshrined) energy policy
should Switzerland adopt?
02
Global support for
crude oil and natural
gas will decline in the medium
term, while demand grows and
oil prices continue to rise.
What are the implications for
energy supply in Switzerland?
Steinmann: Sustainable energy supply involves an efficient, environmentally-friendly,
socially acceptable, just and economical approach towards energy on the part of producers
and consumers alike. Energy policies must create the necessary underlying
conditions for this and point us in a direction by which we can eventually reach our
objectives. The Federal Office of Energy’s strategy, based on the 2000-watt society,
is a first sketch of future sustainable energy policies in Switzerland: one which, it
should be remembered, contains many other elements apart from the aforementioned
three pillars. However, our politicians will have to work intensively over the next few
years to draw up the precise framework conditions and decide which instruments should be employed.
Spreng: Energy policy is a difficult issue. Why? Because only a minority is interested
in it: energy suppliers and environmentalists. That’s why the two camps are constantly
at loggerheads. In the past, energy policies have only functioned if they were part of
a more comprehensive policy. In the 1970s, broad-based support for reductions in air
pollution led to the introduction of strict regulations for oil burners. Amongst other
things, being forced to comply with the regulations prompted the Swiss to develop
oil burners that were unparalleled worldwide. Another example concerns the construction
industry. When the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA) introduced
tougher norms on energy consumption by buildings, the government launched incentive programmes
to promote continuing training for affected professional groups. These proved so successful that the SIA
norms could be met and the construction industry increased its competitiveness. The fact that energy consumption
in new houses more than halved in the space of 30 years was a welcome side-effect to the main aim
of increasing the sector’s competitiveness.
Rechsteiner: Growing CO2 emissions and dwindling oil reserves will favour sustainable
energy supplies. Feed-in tariffs could also trigger a boom in “clean” technology
in Switzerland. Buildings employing the Minergie and Minergie P standards will
make a breakthrough. Freight will increasingly be transported by rail and ship. Within
the single European electricity market, electricity will be produced where the resources
are best: wind energy along coastlines, on plateaux and offshore, and solar
power in areas with plenty of sunshine – in Switzerland that means the Valais and Engadine
regions. We may also import electricity from Italy, Spain or Tunisia. Instead
of investing in foreign atomic energy ventures, companies will become involved in wind and solar energy
projects – like Axpo, which recently bought shares in Norwegian wind farms.
Steinmann: Just like any other country, Switzerland must expect the prices of fossil energy sources to remain
high and supplies uncertain in the medium term. And we would be wise to expand the relevant measures
– some of which are already in place today, for instance in the EnergieSchweiz programme – in a targeted
manner and as soon as possible. For example, at least 50 percent of our heat requirements could be
generated through the use of wood, biomass, solar thermal plants and heat pumps over the next 25 years (fossil
fuels currently account for 80 percent of the total heating market). And in the long term, 10 to 15 percent
of our engine fuels could come from renewable sources such as biogas, bio-ethanol and other renewable energies.
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Spreng: Unfortunately, it’s by no means certain that oil prices will continue to rise. After all, they are the result
of production bottlenecks, not a shortage of resources. High oil prices are a double-edged sword: On the
one hand, the huge profits they bring to producing countries create enormous economic turmoil as well as political
tensions that Switzerland, like other countries, cannot ignore. On the other hand, higher prices are
healthy for purchasers too. It would be good if oil prices remained at the present high level for a long time to
come. This would give alternatives a fair chance and encourage energy saving.

10
THE FUTURE OF ENERGY SUPPLY
The Federal Office
03 for Energy plans to
use natural gas power plants to
bridge the shortfall in electricity
from the year 2020. What
are the advantages and disadvantages
of gas-fired power
plants?
Rechsteiner: Demand should never outstrip supply. As prices increase, efficient and renewable technologies
will (finally!) come to the fore. Those that aren’t efficient will be swept off the market.
Steinmann: If electricity consumption continues to grow by 1 to 2 percent a year, we will already start having
deficits from 2015 during the winter months. At the same time as massively increasing our energy efficiency,
we must try to plug the remaining gap on the production side. In so doing, the proportion of renewable
energies should be expanded as far as possible. However, the remaining requirements must be met by
conventional production technologies. Basically, we really have only two alternatives: new nuclear power stations
or gas-fired plants. No new nuclear power stations are on the cards in the short to medium term, since
the waste disposal issue first needs to be solved once and for all. Among the economically acceptable alternatives,
we assume that combined gas-fired power plants are the lesser evil. Their relative advantages are that
they can be planned, approved and built quickly, and they are acceptable from an energy point of view if coupled
with credible CO2 compensation measures. What’s more, if we use combined gas-fired power stations,
we are not tying ourselves to a technology for 60 years, as would be the case with new nuclear power plants.
Spreng: One advantage is that gas-fired power plants do not tie up much capital and could therefore be suitable
as a bridging solution. The disadvantage is that Switzerland would relinquish its trump card of CO2-free
electricity production if it built new gas-fired power stations.
Is there still a sufficient
potential for 04
expanding and modernising
hydroelectric power plants in
our country? Can the capacities
of hydroelectric plants be
increased further?
Rechsteiner: Gas-fired power plants can handle peak loads. They are relatively cheap and quick to build.
Combined with heat pumps and good waste heat reutilisation, they can even cut CO2 emissions if part of the
electricity is used to replace oil-powered heating systems (via heat pumps). The disadvantages are the CO2
emissions and the lack of cost security, because gas prices follow the price of oil.
Steinmann: Hydroelectric power remains the most important domestic pillar of our energy supplies. However,
there is relatively little scope for economically viable expansion of hydroelectric power in Switzerland,
and what there is, is based mainly on measures to optimise and expand existing plants. Hydroelectric power
could therefore grow by 5 to 10 percent.
Spreng: Hydroelectric power plants play a key role in securing the country’s energy supplies. If the electricity
market were opened up to competition, the state would have to ensure that the modernisation of hydroelectric
power plants was not neglected. Looked at purely in terms of financial investment, many of these expansion
and upgrading projects are not particularly cost-efficient. Luckily, nearly all hydroelectric power
stations are still in public hands. So let’s hope that the powers that be won’t only be looking at short-term cash
flows.
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Will Switzerland
05 need new nuclear
power plants when the existing
ones close? Do atomic technologies
even have a future? And
how do you assess the attitudes
towards nuclear power among
the general public?
Rechsteiner: Much can still be gained by modernising existing hydroelectric plants. In particular, Switzerland
could earn even more money than it does now through an international reservoir management network.
Wind energy and hydroelectric power complement each other ideally. When the wind blows, electricity prices
fall and water reserves are preserved or topped up. When there’s no wind, you can use the hydroelectric plants.
The important thing is that water conservation is not neglected. If cleverly and carefully designed, protection
and utilisation needn’t be mutually exclusive.
Steinmann: By 2020 at the latest, when the oldest nuclear power stations in Switzerland are taken out of operation,
there will be a shortfall in our electricity supplies. This could theoretically be plugged in the medium
to long term by a new nuclear power station, since this option still remains open in Switzerland following several
referendums on the matter. In the meantime, however, construction of a new Swiss nuclear power plant
is rather unrealistic. Instead of engaging in trench warfare over the issue for the next 20 years, we should work
on improving energy efficiency and on renewable energy technologies. The Federal Office for Energy is presently
drawing up its energy predictions for the year 2035. These results, which will be presented at the end of
this year, can form the basis of the political debate about how many and what types of conventional power
plants we really need in 20 to 30 years, be they nuclear or combined gas-fired.
Spreng: In spite of the danger of proliferation and the durability of radioactive waste, I get the impression
that mankind will not be able to resist the temptation to use this compact energy source. I would be happy if
Switzerland didn’t build any more reactors that were not inherently safe, i.e. that the chosen reactor types
couldn’t possibly release unhealthy amounts of radioactivity in the event of an accident.

11
06
What should be done
with the radioactive
waste produced by Switzerland’s
five nuclear power
plants? And what is the ethical
justification for storing nuclear
waste for tens of
thousands of years?
Rechsteiner: Nuclear power plants represent an unacceptable safety risk and must be prevented with all the
political and legal means at our disposal. On closer inspection, the so-called “nuclear renaissance” is pure propaganda.
Few nuclear power plants are being built anywhere in the world, and even these are mostly at the state’s
expense. In view of the trend towards renewable energies, especially wind and solar power, it is becoming increasingly
difficult to justify new nuclear risks even for propaganda purposes. Atomic energy is not only beset
by unsolved safety and waste problems. Its competitiveness on the free market is also restricted by a lack
of cost-effectiveness and long construction times. Wind farms the size of the Gösgen plant can be planned
and built within a year. Nuclear power plants, by contrast, take ten times as long.
Steinmann: From an ethical point of view, it’s clear that we must solve the problem of radioactive waste disposal,
because as the beneficiaries of atomic energy we owe it to future generations to clean up our mess. Extreme
care must be taken in selecting possible locations for storage. This we are doing by putting together a
“deep geological depository plan” which starts by laying down the criteria by which we should select suitable
locations. Aside from safety criteria – the safety of people and the environment are always foremost –
there are also pressing social and economic criteria and needs to take into account. Only when all the criteria
are in place can the actual search for a storage location begin, with cantons, responsible foreign bodies,
organisations and the general public being informed early on and involved in the process as appropriate. Assuming
the Swiss authorities give us carte blanche, possible locations can then be assessed on the basis of
these criteria. Further geological analyses may also need to be carried out. The procedure for selecting a location
could be completed by the end of the decade. The aim is to be able to start using the deep depository
by around 2040.
Spreng: The problem should not be played down, and when it comes to storage, corners should not be cut.
In Switzerland we are well on the way towards developing a concept that both offers reliable passive protection
in stable geological strata and – for future generations – provides for checks with the possibility of improving
storage. Other sectors could take a leaf out of this book.
Could wind farms in
07 the North Sea one
day replace our nuclear power
plants for generating electricity?
How do you evaluate
wind energy from a technical
point of view i.e. in terms of
power fluctuations, line loss,
landscape conservation and
wind availability?
Rechsteiner: There is no technical solution to the waste problem. All we have is damage limitation. Even
burial deep underground entails risks that merit a worldwide ban on nuclear technology. It’s just a question of
time.
Steinmann: First we have to ask ourselves what exactly we mean by “securing supply for our country”. Can
nuclear power stations in France, gas-fired plants operated by Swiss companies in Italy, or wind parks run by
majority Swiss-owned Nordic firms make a real contribution towards securing our energy supplies in the sense
of being self-sufficient? It’s also debatable whether there’s really any sense in transporting energy. Firstly, transporting
electricity over such large distances involves not insubstantial losses. Secondly, present-day transport
capacities would hardly suffice, which means that we’d need massive investment in new lines. For landscape conservation
reasons and because of the relatively low wind factor, only a few locations in Switzerland are suitable
for wind energy generation. In the EU, by contrast, wind energy is witnessing a huge expansion, partly also in
the face of stiff opposition from environmental groups. If the proportion of wind energy in the European electricity
network increases, this can lead to fluctuations in production and prices. And this in turn could benefit
Swiss storage power stations, which could provide back-up power at very short notice when the wind drops.
Spreng: Wind farms are a good thing. And, in principle, wind and water complement each other nicely in
terms of electricity production. But we Swiss are not alone in Europe. The countries that build these wind
farms will want to use this electricity themselves and build the necessary back-up power plants and network
support facilities. As regards landscape conservation, there is no way of generating energy without a downside.
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Rechsteiner: Wind energy is increasingly being harvested in all the world’s oceans. Its potential has even
been recognised in China and the United States. When DC lines are used, transport losses remain below 5
percent, even over very long distances (1000-2000 km). Fluctuations in wind availability can always be managed
if wind farms are properly networked. After all, it’s always windy somewhere. Added to this, we have electricity
storers and demand-side management. Landscape conservation regulations restrict planning and ensure
that large wind farms are built in sparsely populated areas or out at sea. However, just like hydroelectric
plants in the Alps, wind farms are very lucrative for local residents. That’s why wind power exploitation is
growing exponentially.

12
THE FUTURE OF ENERGY SUPPLY
The price of solar
08 power and the cost of
solar cells have dropped. What
future does solar power have
in this country? What are its
chances?
Steinmann: Photovoltaic energy has an enormous potential, but we will only be able to capitalise fully on it
in the long term – i.e. in a few decades. At present there are still too many technical hurdles to overcome and
the costs are too high. Photovoltaics can be considered one of the key technologies of the future. Technical
advances are already bringing prices down by about 5 percent a year, which means that production costs per
kilowatt-hour should be competitive in 20 to 30 years’ time. Switzerland is very well-positioned in this technical
field. It has excellent researchers and lots of experience with practical applications. Even so, our research
and development needs further support and applications need to be promoted so that Switzerland can maintain
its strong position (also as an exporter of energy).
Spreng: It’s true that Switzerland was once a leader in Europe in this field, at a very basic level. However, I
don’t think it would be tragic if only modest amounts of solar power were generated in Switzerland. The important
thing is our role as a world-class provider of high-end technology. The direct use of solar energy is a
perfect example of an area that encompasses many promising technologies. It helps our planet survive and it’s
“good business” if our industry gears itself to long-term viability. With this in mind, a sustainable energy policy
must form an integral part of a forward-looking policy on technology.
Do you think there is
09 a need or a possibility
to reduce energy consumption?
And if so, how and by what
means?
Rechsteiner: Solar power can meet about a third of our electricity needs. Here, too, a tie-in with hydroelectric
power is important. By about 2020 cell prices will have fallen to such an extent that solar power plants
will be competitive around the world.
Steinemann: Energy efficiency policies have been a key pillar of Swiss energy policies since the 1990s.
In addition to regulations for factories, cars and machines, the government together with the cantons
and the private sector are primarily focussing on voluntary mechanisms (e.g. information, advice, education
and further training) within the framework of the EnergieSchweiz programme. The cantons in particular
are responsible for regulations for buildings and the implementation of their own promotion programmes.
To date such energy efficiency measures have scored several successes, but it is clear that they don’t go
far enough. Energy policy as a whole is facing major long-term challenges that cannot be addressed without a
massive increase in energy efficiency. This means that, alongside the voluntary schemes, we must also introduce
obligations and, for example, take certain energy-wasting devices off the market altogether.
Spreng: The most important thing is to save energy. If we in Switzerland needed less energy overall, higher
energy prices would be easy to digest from an economic standpoint. It takes technical advances and the right
energy price to promote energy saving. Without economic incentives, technical progress is wasted on unnecessary
supplementary applications. Years ago, while working for Alusuisse, I calculated where energy
could be saved by using light vehicle parts made of aluminium. Alusuisse (now a part of ALCAN) had great
success developing light vehicle parts. Unfortunately, cars have not got lighter. Instead, bigger vehicles have
been built and fitted with air conditioning and electric motors for windows, seat adjustment and other “creature
comforts”.
For the past 30 years, I and other scientists have been calling for an energy tax. Yet in all those years, all
attempts to introduce such a tax have come to nothing. It seems that too few people are interested in an energy
tax for it to be introduced on its own in a direct democracy. Given that there is even a danger that the
planned CO2 emission caps will not be introduced, it is clear that short-sighted special interests exert too
much influence on energy policy.Taxes of this kind must be seen as a part of financial policy. Our country’s
competitiveness depends to a large extent on the level of taxation and income-related contributions. Opponents
of an energy tax implicitly support higher labour taxation. Revenues from energy or other resourcebased
taxes could take the burden off welfare contributions and income tax.
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Rechsteiner: We are currently witnessing an “autonomous efficiency gain” of about 1-2 percent a year based
on economic output. Global per-capita oil consumption has decreased since 1979. However, the increased efficiency
is partly counteracted by increased consumerism (more electrical devices, more living space and increased
traffic).
Higher prices for oil, gas and coal will not only promote energy efficiency but also make new renewable
energy sources affordable. This can lead to a very strong reduction in energy consumption, assuming that technologies
that generate no waste heat (e.g. wind turbines, solar cells and biomass combined heat-and-power
generators) replace thermal power plants and car engines, which at present gobble up between 60 and 80 percent
of our primary energy.

PORTRAIT
13
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Photo: Keystone
New face on the Federal Council Doris Leuthard is Switzerland’s
newest Federal Councillor and the successor to Joseph
Deiss. The 43-year-old lawyer is the great white hope of Christian
Democrats and consensus-seeking liberals alike. She is only the
fifth woman on the Federal Council and the fifth member of
government from canton Aargau. Leuthard takes over from Deiss
as economics minister. By René Lenzin
Doris Leuthard on her way to watch Switzerland v France in the World Cup.
The scene: Merenschwand in the local authority
of Freiamt (Aargau canton) in the
early 1990s. The president of the local
women’s gymnastics club is giving a speech.
The same young woman presents a very different
picture in the village gymnasium during
rehearsals for the gymnastics evening.
Her name is Doris Leuthard, she is barely 30,
and still virtually unknown. Today, just a decade
later, she’s on the front page of all the
newspapers. On 14 June this year, Leuthard
was elected the 109th member of the Federal
Council. From her roots in Merenschwand,
where she grew up, had civic responsibilities
and still lives, she gradually climbed up the
ladder of Swiss politics.
The impressive thing about her political
career is not the individual stages, but the
speed of her ascent. At the age of 30 she was
a schools inspector in Muri district. She was
elected to the Aargau cantonal parliament at
34, and two years later to the National Council.
By 2001, Leuthard was already the vicepresident
of the Swiss Christian Democratic
People’s Party, the CVP. After the party
had been drubbed at National Council elections
in October 2003 and Ruth Metzler was
voted out of the Federal Council in December
of the same year, Leuthard took over the
party leadership, at first temporarily and
then – in the autumn of
2004 – permanently. And
now the woman who turned
43 on April 10 will, in early
August, take over from Joseph
Deiss, who is leaving
the regional government after
seven years in office.
Down-to-earth
and modern
It is typical of Doris
Leuthard that she has stuck
to her roots and is still involved
in local associations.
She keeps her political feet
firmly grounded, knows how to talk to people
and can find the words to express complex
issues comprehensibly. And yet Leuthard
is not merely a rural conservative. She is a
modern woman who runs her own legal practice,
frequently travels, and has no problem
communicating in Switzerland’s three national
languages. In social affairs she is more
liberal-minded than her Catholic background
would suggest, and she is more open
to the interests of the business community
than many of her party colleagues. She sits
on the governing boards of the Neue Aargauer
Bank, a subsidiary of Credit Suisse,
Laufenberg electricity utility EGL, and
health insurance company CSS. She must
now resign from all these positions, and has
already stepped down as president of the
board of the Catholic Lenten Fund, a relief
organisation.
Sometimes it is difficult to tell where
Leuthard stands on specific political issues,
not least because she has been on the executive
of the CVP almost since the start of her
national political career and therefore primarily
conveys the party’s official line in public.
However, that also makes her convincing.
She is the shining star of a political
party that teetered on the brink and is now
slowly recovering. “The CVP is Doris
Leuthard, and Doris Leuthard is the CVP”,
wrote the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” newspaper.
The party’s new slogan – “Liberal-social”
– seems to have been tailor-made for her. Noone
embodies the Christian Democrats’ newfound
self-confidence better. And she has
played a part in ensuring the party and parliamentary
group takes a united stance on
key issues, for instance in pushing through
uniform child benefit of at least CHF 200
per child per month, and on the privatisation
of Swisscom.
Downhill slide slowed but not stopped
Nevertheless the CVP has not been as successful
under Doris Leuthard as it claims.
True, it has scored a few spectacular successes
at cantonal parliamentary and general
elections, but overall it still loses more seats
than it gains, particularly in the Catholic
heartlands. Under Doris Leuthard, the
CVP’s slide has slowed, but not stopped.
Only National Council elections in the autumn
of 2007 will show where the party really
stands.
Leuthard will not lead the party into these
elections, as originally planned, because she
is now taking over the economics portfolio –
where she has important dossiers to look after
– from party colleague Joseph Deiss. The
most important of these is agriculture. Swiss
farmers are under pressure from the World
Trade Organisation to liberalise, and Switzerland
wants to discuss free trade in agricultural
goods with the EU. Leuthard will have
to decide whether to fight to protect Swiss
farmers or support widespread demands for
free trade and lower prices. Up to now,
Leuthard has been a staunch proponent of
access – ideally completely unrestricted – to
Swiss markets for European products. Now
she will have to defend her stance against resistance
from some of her Federal Council
colleagues, a somewhat formalistic administration,
and the affected sectors. Another
tricky issue facing the new Federal Councillor
is the reform of the unemployment benefit
system, which is running at a deficit.
In 1999, Doris Leuthard married her longstanding
partner Roland Hausin. He will now
probably see his wife even less than before,
given that her core activities are clearly shifting
to Berne. The people of Merenschwand
have already erected a monument to her –
just in case. After all, they too won’t see
“their” Doris quite so often.

14
OFFICIAL DFA INFORMATION
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Translated from German
New Swiss passport
Model 06
Readers of the 2/06 issue of
“Swiss Review” will recall that
Swiss passports containing
electronically recorded biometric
data will be issued from
September onwards. Specimens
of the new “06” passports
are currently being
printed for testing purposes.
The first test passport offices
are located in Berne and Frankfurt
(Germany). Eight such offices
will be set up for the duration
of the pilot project to
introduce the new passports in
Switzerland. Eight more will be
set up at Swiss representations
abroad. These offices will be
provided with special cameras
that can take digital passport
photographs. The location of
these offices can be found in the
2/06 issue of “Swiss Review”.
During an initial test in
Berne and Frankfurt, photographs
were taken of the faces
of 160 volunteers of different
age and appearance. These
were then combined with fictitious
data and used to produce
about 500 test passports. The
passports were then used for
“chain tests” to check the effectiveness
of systems and procedures.
The test passports will
remain in federal government
hands during the test phase, after
which they will be destroyed.
Model 06 passports will be
issued in parallel to current
Model 03 passports from this
September. Applications for the
new passport can be made from
4 September onwards.
If you already have an 03
passport or are issued one before
26 October 2006, you can
continue to visit or transit the
United States without a visa
after this date. In other words,
you do not need an electronically-readable
biometric 06
passport.
Holders of 03 passports issued
after 26 October 2006 will
in future require a visa to travel
to the United States. Binding
information on travel to the
USA is available from your
nearest US representation. Further
details can also be found
at the following websites:
www.unitedstatesvisas.gov
www.travel.state.gov
www.dhs.gov/us-visit
The Federal Office of Police
in Berne has published a leaflet
containing the most important
information on the passport 06.
This can be ordered at the
following Internet address:
www.bbl.admin.ch/
bundespublikationen
Order no.: “403.300.d”
(the inverted commas must
be entered).
Further information:
“Swiss Review” 2/06
(www.revue.ch)
www.schweizerpass.ch
schweizerpass@fedpol.admin.ch
www.schweizerpass.ch
Hotline: +41 (0)800 820 008.
ORDER YOUR 2003 PASSPORT NOW!
■ The Federal Council recommends holders of the old Model 85 passport
– whether resident in Switzerland or abroad – to order an 03 passport
now. This is also cheaper than a biometric passport: 03 passports cost
CHF 120 for adults and CHF 55 for children, while the new 06 passport
will cost CHF 180 for infants under the age of 3 and CHF 250 for everyone
else.
■ If you want to receive your 03 passport by 26 October 2006, you need
to apply for it as soon as possible. Swiss nationals resident abroad
should apply no later than the end of August.
Swiss diplomas
valid throughout
EU and EFTA
The Agreement on Free
Movement of Persons (FMP),
signed jointly by Switzerland
and the European Union
and the European Free Trade
Association, has been in force
since 1 June 2002. Amongst
other things, it enables
Swiss nationals to seek work
throughout the EU and EFTA.
Another condition for professional
mobility is the
recognition of different
diplomas if the profession
is regulated. The FMP therefore
coordinates the bilateral
recognition of diplomas
and certificates because each
country issues its own professional
titles.
The FMP does not cover
the recognition of academic
titles, a matter Switzerland
has subsequently resolved
through bilateral agreements
with neighbours France,
Italy, Germany and Austria.
These agreements are completely
separate from the
FMP.
Regulated professions
Professions requiring a
diploma, certificate or quali
fication to practise in a
parti cular country are described
as “regulated”. Every
member state has its own
rules on the qualifications
required to practise a particular
pro fession. As a result,
Swiss nationals abroad need
to find out if the profession
they wish to practise is regulated
in the country in which
they want to work. If this is
the case, they must apply to
have their diplomas recognised.
If their profession is
not regulated (e.g. chef), no
official recognition of their
qualifications is required
because anyone with a Swiss
qualification can seek work
abroad.
Diploma recognition system
The system for recognising
diplomas within the EU
and EFTA is based on three
pillars:
■ Sectoral directives (for
medical and paramedical professions
and for architects)
■ General directives (for
academic professions and
those requiring an apprenticeship)
■ Transitional directives
(for professions in industry,
trade, commerce, the service
industry and the handicraft
trades. These particularly
take account of professional
experience).
Sectoral directives
The EU has issued so-called
sectoral directives for some
professions. These apply
specifically to general care
nurses, dentists and vets,
midwives, pharmacists, doctors
and architects. In these
cases, diplomas are more or
less recognised automatically.
If, for example, a French nurse
wants to work in Geneva, the
Swiss authorities merely check
whether she has a French
nursing diploma.
The recognition of diplomas
for these professions
only relates to the applicant’s
basic training. Special training
courses – e.g. supplementary
vocational training to become
an anaesthetist – must
be reported (“notified”) to
the European Commission
by member states and Switzerland.
The Commission
then decides whether to
approve such special training.
Switzerland has notified
and submitted to the Commission
the specialist titles
awarded in Switzerland.

15
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Photo: EDA
A list of these can be found
in Appendix III of the
FMP (Appendix III: Mutual
Recognition of Professional
Qualifications; Agreement on
Free Movement of Persons
with the EU, SR 0142.112.681).
Even though recognition
is effectively guaranteed, Swiss
nationals seeking to pursue
one of these seven professions
within the EU/EFTA must
apply for a permit to do so.
To do this, they must present
their diploma. The host state
may demand further documentary
proof, which Swiss
nationals can obtain from the
Federal Office for Professional
Education and Technology
(OPET).
General directives
All other professions are covered
by general directives. In
order for a diploma obtained in
an applicant’s home country to
be recognised by a host state,
the content and duration of the
training course must in principle
be comparable. If the host
state does not consider the two
qualifications to be equivalent,
it must allow the applicant to
make good any shortcomings.
This may take the form of an
aptitude test or a further training
course.
There are three types of
general directives:
First general directive:
This applies to professions requiring
a minimum of three
years’ study at university level
and not already covered by a
sectoral directive.
Second general directive:
This applies to all regulated
professions for which the
course of study lasts less than
three years (paramedical and
social work professions).
Third general directive:
This replaces numerous transitional
directives signed by
Switzerland and the EU/EFTA
states. It mainly applies to
trade, commercial and handicraft
professions.
The basic principle of recognition
in the EU
It is assumed that courses of
study pursued in EU/EFTA
Member States are generally
equivalent and that host states
should therefore trust diplomas
issued in other countries.
For this reason, the general directives
are based on the principle
of mutual recognition of
training courses. The following
rule-of-thumb applies: All
applicants may have the content
of their diploma checked
and recognised. In so doing,
the titles themselves are not
compared, but rather the content
and duration of the
courses.
Swiss citizens who want to
use their diploma to work in
an EU/EFTA country must
apply for a work permit from
the relevant official bodies.
At the same time, they must
seek confirmation of the
equivalence of their diploma.
If you are a Swiss national and
want to have your vocational
diploma recognised in an
EU or EFTA member state,
please contact the national
contact office in the relevant
host country.
The contact addresses can be
found at:
www.bbt.admin.ch/themen/
hoehere/00169/00370/00374/
index.html?lang=en
Further information on
diploma recognition:
www.bbt.admin.ch, “Topics”,
“International Diploma
Recognition”, “EU Diploma
Recognition”
The brochures “Swiss diplomas
in the EU” and “EU diplomas
in Switzerland” can be
downloaded from the “Further
Information” section.
Switzerland and
the UN
The Federal Council has
submitted to Parliament its
fourth annual report, “Switzerland
and the UN”, on
Switzerland’s co-operation
with the UN and the international
organisations based
in Switzerland. The report
focuses on the outcome of
the 2005 World Summit
(Follow-up Summit in 2005
of the UN-Millenium Summit
in 2000) as well as on
the challenges to Swiss policy
on hosting international
organisations. The report also
includes a chapter on Swiss
candidacies and staff within
the UN system. In its conclusion,
it sets out Switzerland’s
main priorities for the 61th
session of the UN General
Assembly.
An illustrated brochure on
the report is available online
Advertisement
(www.dfae.admin.ch/sub_
uno/e/uno.html) and can be
ordered free of charge. When
ordering please indicate your
name, address
and the required language
(German, French, Italian and
English) to:
DFA UN Coordination
Bundesgasse 28, 3003 Berne
Fax: (+41) 031 324 90 65
E-mail : uno@eda.admin
CURRENT POPULAR
INITIATIVES
No new initiatives have been
launched since the last issue.
Signature forms for current initiatives
can be downloaded from
www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/vi/
vis_1_3_1_1.html
VOTING
Federal referendum
24 September 2006
■ Popular initiative of 9 October
2002: „National Bank profits for
the AHV“
■ Federal law of 16 December
2005 on foreigners (provided
the move for a referendum is
successful)
■ Amendment of 16 December
2005 to the asylum law (provided
the move for a referendum
is successful)
Date of forthcoming referendum
in 2006:
26 November
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OFFICIAL DFA
INFORMATION PAGES:
GABRIELA BRODBECK, SERVICE FOR
THE SWISS ABROAD/DFA

16
SWISS HIMALAYAN EXPEDITION
Swiss Himalayan pioneers Fifty years ago, the third Swiss expedition to Mount Everest notched
up the second and third conquest of the world’s highest peak. It also managed the first ascent
of Lhotse, the highest “eight-thousander” as yet unscaled. Alain Wey looks back at one of the most
successful expeditions in the history of Himalayan mountaineering. By Alain Wey.
At 8,850 meters above sea level, the blue sky
begins to darken. To this day, towering Everest
remains a source of yearning, almost as
if it embodied an unattainable dream. Before
the glitzy conquest of space, it was the ascent
of the world’s tallest mountains that drove
adventurers and researchers to new heights
in the first half of the 20th century.
There was even a kind of “competition”
among the kings of the mountaineering nations.
And yet it was Edmund Hillary, a
beekeeper from New Zealand of extraor-
dinary strength, who with his sherpa Tenzing
Norgay became the first to reach the
top of the highest mountain in the world
in 1953. The names Hillary and Tenzing
went down in the history books, and Britain
basked in the knowledge that one of its
antipodean settlers had got there first.
However, it should not be forgotten that
two expeditions from Geneva had been
forced to turn back just 250 meters from
the mythical peak in 1952. The Swiss Foundation
for Alpine Research (SSAR) had
been trying to put together a new Himalayan
expedition ever since.
After much negotiation between 1953 and
1956, the Swiss Everest Expedition was
formed. This experienced group of mountaineers
consisted of ten outstanding Swiss
alpinists under the leadership of Albert Eggler,
an honorary member of the Swiss Alpine
Club and at the time the club’s central president.
The homogenous team comprising,
amongst other things, a geographer, glaciologist,
meteorologist, doctor, and chemist,
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Photos: SFAR, Foundation for Alpine Research, Zurich
The pictures are taken from the
book “Everest – Lhotse, Schweizer
am Everest 1952 und 1956“,
which documents the Swiss conquest
of Everest in 1956 from
Base Camp (upper right) to the
summit (top right). The picture
above shows Sherpa Tenzin on
the right, with the Swiss team
on the summit. On the right is the
cashbox from which the sherpas‘
daily fees were paid in cash.

17
underwent military mountaineering training
in the summer of 1955, followed by courses
on avalanches and explosives in January 1956,
to prepare them thoroughly for any eventuality
their forthcoming mission might hold
in store.
On 2 March 1956, the team arrived at the
Nepalese border, where it was joined by a
lama and 22 sherpas. After a six-week hike,
they pitched their base camp at an altitude
of 5,370 meters on April 7. In all, eight camps
were set up on the way to the summit: Camp
I at 5,800 meters, Camp II at 6,110 meters,
Camp III at 6,400 meters, Camp IV at 6,800
meters, Camp V at 7,400 meters, Camp VI
at 7,986 meters, and Camp VII at 8,400 meters.
After spending a freezing night at minus 25
degrees Celsius at Camp V, Ernst Reiss and
Fritz Luchsinger reached the summit of
Lhotse (8,501 meters) on May 18th. The
Lhotse ascent was a double premiere: It was
also the first time Swiss mountaineers had
successfully scaled an “eight-thousander”.
On May 23, a group of climbers led by
Ernst Schmied (the brother-in-law of
Hansruedi von Gunten) and Jürg Marmet,
left Camp VII and trudged indefatigably towards
the top of Everest. At around 2 p.m.,
Man conquered the highest peak on the
planet for the second time. Back at Camp
VII, they met the second group of Dölf Reist
and Hansruedi von Gunten (at 28, the
youngest member of the expedition), who
spent the night there while the other team
returned to Camp VI.
The following day, May 24, it was the turn
of Reist and von Guten to reach the summit,
where they remained for almost two hours
enjoying the magnificent view that Everest
grants in clear weather. All the members of
the team arrived back at base camp on May
29. An incredible adventure had come to an
end. Apart from a few medical problems at
the start of their voyage, the expedition was
extremely fortunate, benefiting from unusually
favourable weather conditions. The 1956
expedition brought Swiss alpinism worldwide
renown. And as a result of their exploits,
the team helped to make mountaineering
popular around the globe!
The anniversary book: Everest – Lhotse,
Schweizer am Everest 1952 und 1956,
by Oswald Oelz, published by AS Verlag,
www.as-verlag.ch
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
THE EXPEDITION IN FIGURES
■ Budget: CHF 295,000 (the actual cost was
CHF 360,000)
■ The scientific equipment and emergency
materials weighed 10 tonnes and were transported
to base camp from the Nepalese border
by 350 male and female porters. The exhibition
at the Swiss Alpine Museum in Berne
provides a comprehensive insight into the
equipment of the time.
■ Before the start of the 1956 Swiss expedition,
only seven of the 14 independent
mountains over 8,000 meters had been conquered.
Nine days before the Swiss reached
the top of Lhotse, a different expedition successfully
climbed another eight-thousander:
Manaslu.
www.sac-cas.ch / www.sfar-evev06.ch

18
OPENAIR “ROCK OZ’ARÈNES”
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Photo: Charly Rappo
Avenches – rock in the arena
The Rock Oz’Arènes festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary.
Charlotte Carrel, the head and programme director of the
festival, talks about the arena in Avenches, a Roman site that
became a music venue. By Alain Wey.
What does the arena in Avenches mean
to you?
It’s a unique place. Without wanting to
boast, I can safely say that I have witnessed
the best concerts in my life there. These very
special surroundings radiate a wonderful atmosphere
and have natural acoustics. Anyone
who has ever played there remembers
the arena in Avenches as a special and altogether
unusual place.
Can you develop a sense of what audiences
will like?
That’s something you learn over time. You
can be wrong, but you learn not to focus on
one style of music. You need a comprehensive
view of music. And you must have a
sense of the different genres and recognise
what different audiences like.
What was your job before you worked
for Rock Oz’Arènes?
I always dreamt of becoming Bruce
Springsteen’s lead guitarist! That was one of
my childhood ambitions. I studied business
in Domdidier (FR) before spending a year
in London in 1987-88. It was the New Wave
era: The Cure, Talking Heads, etc. It was
during my time in London that my interest
in music came to the fore. When I returned
to Switzerland, I worked for various American
companies.
How did the Rock Oz’Arènes adventure start?
A musician and his partner, who worked
for Terre des Hommes, decided to stage concerts
at the arena to raise money for children
in need. To this day, the festival still donates
money to charity.
And how did your debut at Rock Oz’Arènes
come about?
A friend asked me if I’d like to be on the
team for the first festival. At the time I was
in the middle of a public relations training
course in Lausanne, and I was very attracted
by the idea of helping out on site. I started
as a voluntary helper before moving onto the
organising committee the second year, where
Charlotte Carrel
15TH ROCK OZ’ARÈNES
■ The main attractions of the Rock
Oz’Arènes, which takes place from Tuesday
15 to Saturday 19 August 2006 will be: Radiohead
(GB), Jamiroquai (GB), Franz Ferdinand
(GB), Calexico (USA), Jovanotti (ITA), Body
Count featuring Ice T (USA), Texas (GB),
Nada Surf (USA) and Bernie Constantin (CH).
For further information, visit www.rockozarenes.com
THE HISTORY OF THE ARENA AT AVENCHES
■ In Roman times, today’s Switzerland was
divided among five different Roman provinces.
The Romans founded several towns
that then developed into administrative centres.
The capital of Roman Helvetia at that
time was Aventicum (present-day Avenches).
In the first century AD, the town had up to
20,000 inhabitants. The arena, also known as
the amphitheatre, dates back to 130 AD. It
was mainly used for wild animal and gladiator
fighting. From the start of the 4th century
onwards, people started using the
stones of the amphitheatre as materials for
other buildings, and in the 11th century the
Bishop of Lausanne ordered the construction
of a fixed tower on the site of the east gate,
which now houses the Roman Museum. www.
avenches.ch/aventicum/de/Archeo/b0.htm
I took over the programme planning duties
in 1993.
Let me quote a few figures on Rock Oz’Arènes:
The budget has risen in recent years. It was
CHF 2.3 million in 2005 and CHF 3 million
in 2006. What next?
This rise reflects the fact that a fifth
evening – the Tuesday – was added. In 2003
we had an artistic budget of CHF 700,000.
This rose to CHF 750,000 in 2004, reached
CHF 850,000 for four evenings in 2005, and
stood at CHF 1.25 million for five days in
2006. For several years now, we have increased
the artistic budget by CHF 150,000
or even CHF 200,000 a year. We’ll get into
difficulties if we have to keep increasing the
artists’ fees. And we’ll have to think of something
if we want to continue to hold our own
on the European stage.
How do you finance these CHF 3 million?
70 percent of the budget is generated from
ticket sales. 15 percent comes from sponsorship,
local authorities, donations and the
Swiss Lottery. The remaining 15 percent is
made up of revenue from restaurants and
stalls.
What’s the festival’s maximum capacity?
40,000 people over five days; 8,000 per
night. In order to cover the budget for this
year’s event, we need at least 32,000 people
in the arena, i.e. 70 percent of total capacity.
Which records would you take with you
to a desert island?
First of all, my “childhood idol”: Bruce
Springsteen, of course. I’ve fallen in love
with his latest album, “We Shall Overcome
– The Seeger Session”, which I often listen
to in the car. And naturally I’d take an album
by The Cure; “Staring at the Sea”, for which
singer Robert Smith wrote the song “Charlotte
Sometimes”. Then I’d pack the record
by the Valais band Water Lily, which I’m
completely besotted with. It’s such fun listening
to Swiss bands of such high quality.
I’d also take an album by the Swiss artist
Bernie Constantin, with songs like “Switzerland
Reggae” or “Lola Berlingo”. Incidentally,
he’ll be responsible for presenting the
bands that are up on the arena stage.

POLITICS/VOTING
19
Dual system entrenched in asylum law
An immigration policy that has been practised in Switzerland
for several years is now to become law. EU and EFTA citizens
have unrestricted access to the Swiss labour market, while immigrants
from countries outside these regions have to be wellqualified.
A referendum on the bill will be held on 24 September.
Voters will also be asked to decide on tougher asylum legislation
and a campaign to transfer Swiss National Bank profits
to the AHV fund. By René Lenzin
The electorate may be voting separately on
foreigners and the asylum bill, but the two
issues are closely linked. Firstly, they both deal
with the rights of foreigners to live and work
in Switzerland. Secondly, certain issues necessary
for enforcement of the asylum law are covered
by Swiss immigration legislation.
The Foreigners’ Law codifies the two-level
immigration policy already widely practised
in Switzerland. The Agreement on Free
Movement of Persons with the European
Union grants citizens of EU member states
free access to the Swiss labour market. The
same regulations apply to citizens of EFTA
nations. The new law therefore only relates
to so-called “third countries” and stipulates
that only well-qualified people from these
countries may enter Switzerland. However,
once here, more is to be done to assist their
integration than is presently the case. If they
can integrate successfully, they would be allowed
to bring their family and have their residence
permit extended. These rights are,
however, formulated as discretionary, which
would lead to different practices in the various
cantons.
No provisions for “sans-papiers”
The Federal Council and the centre-right
CVP, FDP and SVP parties support the law.
The bill was approved by 106 votes to 66 in
the National Council, and 33 to 8 in the
Council of States. It was rejected by the Social
Democrats and Greens, who had unsuccessfully
demanded a more generous immigration
policy for citizens of third countries
and a special ruling for immigrants with no
official papers (“sans-papiers”). They had
called for legal residential status for well-integrated
foreigners living in Switzerland without
official permission but unable to return
to their native country. Their opposition
to tougher custodial sentences for asylum
seekers also proved unsuccessful. Asylum
seekers who fail to cooperate with the authorities
could face up to two years in prison.
Because of the failure to amend the bill in
Parliament, the Greens and various foreigners’
associations tabled a referendum against
the asylum act and gathered the requisite
number of signatures.
Asylum ruled out for illegal immigrants
There’s even more widespread opposition to
the amended asylum act. This is rejected not
only by the Social Democrats and Greens,
but also by ecclesiastical bodies as well as cities
governed by “red-green” coalitions. Opponents
say the act constitutes a breach of
international law and conflicts with
Switzerland’s humanitarian traditions. The
reforms would, indeed, tighten the existing
regulations to the detriment of asylum seekers
since immigrants without valid papers
would no longer have the right to seek asylum
in the first place. Exceptions would only
be made for asylum-seekers who could give
a credible explanation for their lack of official
papers. The bill also aims to cut off welfare
payments to all rejected asylum seekers.
At present this applies only to applications
that the authorities refuse to even consider.
The right to emergency assistance would also
be restricted. This would now only be granted
to failed asylum seekers who cooperated
with their extradition.
In the original bill presented by Federal
Councillor Ruth Metzler, this tougher stance
was cushioned by the introduction of “humanitarian
refugee status”. According to this,
asylum seekers whose applications had been
rejected but who could not be expected to
return to their country of origin could work
and bring their families to Switzerland. In
accordance with a motion by Metzler’s successor,
Christoph Blocher, parliament reduced
the rights of these temporary residents
to a number of labour market reforms to facilitate
employment.
The asylum bill was approved by 108 votes
to 69 in the National Council, and 33 votes
to 12 in the Council of States. The Federal
Council and the majority of MPs say the
tougher regulations are designed to combat
abuse of the system. Genuine refugees have
nothing to fear, they say, and Switzerland’s
humanitarian traditions remain intact.
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
NATIONAL BANK PROFITS FOR THE AHV?
■ The AHV (Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance) fund should be given part
of the Swiss National Bank’s profits. This is the demand made by a people’s
initiative launched by the Social Democrats to be put to the people
and the cantons on 24 September. At present, one-third of the SNB’s
profits flow into federal coffers and two-thirds go to the cantons. The
proposal is for the first billion francs to be given to the cantons and the
rest to the AHV. According to an agreement between the Federal Government
and the SNB, an annual CHF 2.5 billion a year in profits will be
handed over until 2012. If the initiative were approved, the AVH would
thus stand to get CHF 1.5 billion a year.
How much the fund would receive after 2012 is still under debate. The
initiators of the campaign assume that the SNB’s profits would be so high
thereafter that the AHV could receive CHF 1-2 billion annually. They
therefore consider the initiative an important tool for stabilising the
pension system in the medium term. However, the SNB and opponents
warn about overestimating the bank’s profits. They estimate average future
profits of CHF 1 billion. That would leave nothing for the AHV. They
are also concerned about the SNB losing its independence because it
would have to work for maximum profits for the AHV’s benefit.
The initiative is backed by the Social Democrats and Greens, but has
been opposed by both the Federal Council and the Christian Democrats,
Free Radical Democrats and Swiss People’s Party. The National Council
and Upper Chamber have rejected it. (RL)

20
OSA NEWS
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
The Association for
the Promotion of the
Education of Young
Swiss Living Abroad
(AJAS
News from the Association for
the Promotion of the Education
of Young Swiss Abroad
(AJAS): Last year the AJAS
held a competition among students
from various specialist
institutes of higher education
to design a new logo. The aim
was to modernise the AJAS
logo and bring it into line with
existing OSA logos. We now
have pleasure in presenting our
new logo, designed by the winner,
Silvia Hugi from the Berne
University of the Arts..
The logo is not the only
thing that has changed. The
AJAS team has also seen a few
changes over the past year.
Elisabeth Müller was appointed
as the new manager of
the AJAS in February 2005,
and has been ably assisted by
Fiona Scheidegger since September
2005.
The new AJAS team continues
to pursue our policy of
helping young Swiss living
abroad to return to their country
of origin to pursue their
studies and integrate themselves
into their home country’s
education system. To this
end, the AJAS offers a wealth
of information that provide initial
pointers to young Swiss
Abroad, some of whom do not
speak the local languages and/
or have little or no knowledge
about their country. For example,
the AJAS provides documentation
about education and
training, internships, accommodation
and scholarships.
Where necessary, students are
put directly in contact with the
responsible body. The AJAS
also advises young Swiss
Abroad about cantonal grants
and other issues related to
studying in Switzerland. The
AJAS answers queries in German,
French, English and
Spanish.
Important information is
available in five languages on
the AJAS website (www.ajas.
ch). If you have any questions
about studying in Switzerland,
contact us. We’ll gladly help
you out.
Due to the decision to reduce
our federal funding from
2007, the AJAS is calling for
donations or bequests from
Swiss living abroad, so that it
can continue to provide services
in the future. One former
diplomat has graciously donated
funds to enable us to offer
the new supplementary
Freiburghaus Grant, which is
named after him.
REMO GALLI PHD (HON.),
FORMER NATIONAL COUNCILLOR
AJAS
Alpenstrasse 26, CH-3006 Berne
Tel: +41 (0)31 35661 04
Fax: + 41 (0)31 35661 01
E-mail: ajas@aso.ch
15th Federal Youth
Session
The new Federal Council, drawn by Peter Schrank.
This autumn, a very special
Youth Session will be taking
place in Graubunden from 30
September to 2 October. Because
of rebuilding work at the
Houses of Parliament in Berne,
the National Council and
Council of States (the two
houses of the Swiss Parliament)
will be convening in the wellknown
tourist region of Flims/
Laax. The Youth Session will
take advantage of this opportunity
to meet members of parliament
in the mountains of
Graubunden. Once again, the
focus will be on an exchange of
views between the generations,
with working groups examining
and debating current political
issues. You can bring your visions
and suggestions to these
working groups, while Swiss
politicians and experts on the
issues up for discussion will be
on hand to answer questions
and provide information. Your
arguments and proposals will
be used as the basis for petitions
(demands) that will be
discussed and voted on in parliament
on the Saturday. The
petitions must then be taken
into consideration by the relevant
parliamentary committees..
Young Swiss abroad at the
Youth Session
For several years now, a group
of 14- to 21-year-old Swiss resident
abroad has also taken part
in the Youth Session. You, too,
can take advantage of this opportunity
for budding young
politicians. The programme
kicks off in Switzerland on 25
September. The Swiss political
system will be explained in detail
in Berne. The Youth Service
will prepare you for all the
issues up for debate at weekend
Session. But politics is not the
only thing on the agenda: the
emphasis will clearly also be on
fun. With an attractive social
programme, visitors from
around the globe, and 200
other young politicians, entertainment
and enjoyment are
guaranteed.
And all for a token contribution
of just CHF 100.
If you’d like to secure yourself
a place at the New Year
Camp, you can register online
now:
New Year ski camp
in Sedrun (GR)
27.12.2006 - 05.01.2007
Sixty young people from more
than 20 countries will gather in
the Graubunden alps. Snow is
guaranteed at the Sedrun ski
resort and there’s lots to do.
Accommodation is comfortable
and centrally located in the village.
Don’t miss an opportunity
to be wished Happy New Year
in lots of different languages!
Experience Switzerland!
This is just a taster of what the
Youth Service has on offer.
Click onto our website to find
out more. As usual, further information
can be obtained at
www.aso.ch or from
Organisation of the Swiss Abroad
Youth Service
Alpenstrasse 26, CH-3006 Berne
Tel.: +41 (0)31 356 6100
Fax: +41 (0)31 356 6101
youth@aso.ch

21
Foundation for
Young Swiss Abroad
2006/2007 Winter
Camp for 8- to
14-year-olds
Whether your children are
skiers or snowboarders, beginners
or experts, our winter
camps are a great opportunity
for 8- to 14-year-old young
Swiss Abroad to have a super
holiday!
Winter camp
Hasliberg I
Location: Hasliberg
(Bernese Oberland)
Date: Wednesday
27 December, 2006, to Friday
5 January, 2007
Number of participants: 48
Cost: CHF 800.–
Registration deadline:
15 October 2006
Hasliberg II
Location: Hasliberg
(Bernese Oberland)
Date: Saturday
10 February, 2007,
to Saturday
17 February, 2007
Number of participants:
24
Cost: CHF 640.-
Registration deadline:
15 December 2006
sports – we’ll be taking short
trips into surrounding areas,
visiting the indoor swimming
pool, and an arts and crafts
workshop. The kids will still
have plenty of time to chat and
get to know their new friends
from around the globe.
Rendezvous
Around lunchtime at Zurich
Airport. Parents are responsible
for organising and paying
for the outward journey to Zurich
airport on the first day and
return journey on the last day.
Staff
An experienced multilingual
team of camp leaders is there
to make sure everything runs
smoothly and that there’s lots
to keep the kids occupied.
Subsidies
The Foundation for Young
Swiss Abroad would like as
many Swiss children living
abroad as possible to have an
opportunity to spend at least
one holiday in Switzerland.
Parents can therefore apply for
a reduction in the cost of the
camp. Application forms can be
requested when registering.
Registration
Details on the winter camps
and application forms will be
available at www.aso.ch (under
“Youth”, “Holiday camps for 8-
to 14-year-olds”, “Program
Winter”) from September
2006. On request, we can also
send you our information brochure
by post.
Swiss Ski
Free youth camp for 13- and
14-year-old Swiss children and
young Swiss Abroad
Twenty young Swiss Abroad
born in 1992 or 1993 as well as
280 children of the same age
living in Switzerland will be offered
free places at the large
Swiss Ski Association ski camp
in Lenk to be held on 2-9 January
2007. Swiss children abroad
interested in taking part must
be able to communicate in at
least one of the three Swiss national
languages (German,
French and Italian). The names
of the lucky participants will be
drawn out of the hat in mid-
October.
To take part in the draw,
please send us your full postal
address (as well as a fax number
and e-mail address, if available)
and mark it “Juskila Lenk”.
We’ll then send you the Swiss
Ski Association’s prize draw
registration form in September.
For more information, contact
our staff in Berne, who will
be happy to help:
Foundation for Young Swiss
Abroad
Alpenstrasse 26
CH-3006 Berne
Tel.: +41 (0)31 356 6116
Fax: +41 (0)31 356 6101
E-mail: sjas@aso.ch
www.aso.ch
(“Youth”, “Holiday camps
for 8- to 14-year-olds”,
“Program Winter”)
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Programme
Winter sports are the
main focus of our winter
camps. Skiing and snowboarding
will feature
highly in our programme,
but there’s also
a chance to go sledging,
ice skating or snowshoeing.
The programme
is suitable for all levels,
from beginners to
advanced .
As a bad-weather
alternative – or just for
as a change from winter
FYSA winter camp in February 2006.

22
SOLISWISS
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Photo: Soliswiss
New products from Soliswiss
Because it does not have bank status, Soliswiss, the cooperative
solidarity fund for Swiss Abroad, can no longer run savings
accounts. Ulrich Pfister, Chairman, explains what this means to
the society’s expatriate policyholders in an interview with
“Swiss Review”.
“Swiss Review”: Up to now, Soliswiss has
not been subject to either banking or insurance
legislation. Now, with immediate effect, the
Swiss Federal Banking Commission (SFBC)
has prohibited Soliswiss as a non-bank from
taking the money from the general public for
commercial purposes. Why?
Ulrich Pfister: The basic idea of the solidarity
fund for Swiss Abroad, which was
founded in 1958, was to combine insurance
against loss of livelihood with financing from
savings deposited with the fund. Back then
the solution was guaranteed and supervised
by the federal authorities, which is why the
banking and insurance supervisory authorities
were not responsible. Since then the prudential
services and pension benefits offered
by Soliswiss have developed and grown independent.
Financial supervision has become
stricter.
Savings has always been one of Soliswiss’s
core tasks. According to the banking law,
however, only banks are allowed to use the
term “savings”. What are the implications
of this for Soliswiss?
“Savings” is indeed a term reserved for
banks. Our task is to promote financial provisions
and pension benefits, whether
through banking or insurance products. That
won’t change.
The new agreement between the European
Union and Switzerland governing compliance
with the EU agreement on interest rates will
now also apply to Soliswiss. What are the
consequences?
Soliswiss is registered as a paying agent as
defined by the EU agreement. In future,
when our members’ money is invested with
a bank, the bank rather than Soliswiss will be
the paying agent.
Ulrich Pfister, President, Soliswiss
What are the consequences of these innovations
for Soliswiss as an asset manager?
We want to continue the asset management
strategy we adopted last year of offering
more attractive investment opportunities
with a Swiss private bank. The new
situation will not stand in the way of this strategy:
on the contrary, it will make it easier to
implement.
And what will be the impact for your
members?
There will be no change for members. Savings
accounts will be closed over the next
few months, and the money will be paid out.
We are advising our clients to transfer their
money immediately to a new investment account.
Does that mean that members can decide
for themselves which bank they want to invest
with?
All members are free to decide whether to
have their money transferred to a bank or postal
giro account, or whether to place their
funds with one of four new investment strategies
via Soliswiss. Each of the four strategies
offers a different return and risk profile. They
address all requirements of Swiss Abroad.
How do individual members go about this?
After receiving the SFBC licence in June
as a distributor of investment funds authorised
in Switzerland, we will inform every
Soliswiss member in person. In principle,
only a few registration formalities are needed
to open a securities account with Wegelin
Bank‘s fund management and confer power
of attorney on Soliswiss for assets.
Will Soliswiss continue to broker international
health insurance policies, life insurance and
pension insurance?
Our insurance services have been very successful
over the past few years and are not affected
by the changes. Our insurance brokering
business will aim for a higher quality of
advice on the one hand, and on the other it
will work with our partners on special cover
for Swiss nationals abroad. Higher admission
ages and approval of costs abroad are concrete
improvements in benefits that our customers
appreciate.
Will the new business conditions also entail
advantages for your members?
The new business conditions only affect
asset management. Our members will have
access to products from Wegelin, a highly reputable
private bank, and will enjoy preferential
conditions with an institutional investor
for deposits as low as CHF 1000. Soliswiss
members can therefore invest in exactly the
same way as Soliswiss does.
Will members have to accept higher expenses
and fees in the future?
In future our members will have to pay the
statutory charges and banking fees. Overall,
they will be better off than before thanks to
preferential conditions and the bank’s strong
performance.
What advantages does Soliswiss offer Swiss
Abroad in this day and age, compared with
other insurance companies?
Soliswiss offers a unique and unrivalled
service in the form of loss-of-livelihood insurance.
In asset management and insurance
brokerage, Soliswiss is a purchasing cooperative.
Soliswiss offers Swiss nationals abroad
advantages in these areas by selecting firstclass
Swiss products for our members,
maintaining a modern Internet platform,
providing unbiased, individual advice on the
telephone, and operating as a not-for-profit
cooperative society with the minimum of financial
outlay. INTERVIEWER: HEINZ ECKERT

NEWS IN BRIEF
23
SWISS REVIEW August 2006 / No. 4
Photo: Keystone
Martina Hingis
in the top 15
Martina Hingis is back at the
top. In Rome, the tennis player
from St.Gallen notched up
the 41 st championship victory
of her career and the first since
her comeback in January. The
win pushes her back into the
top 15 of the WTA rankings.
At the French Open, Hingis
reached the quarter-finals.
Sion promoted,
Zurich wins league
After its enforced relegation
in 2002, Sion FC won its promotion
battle against Neuchâtel
Xamax, and will now
be playing in the Super
League next season. This
year’s Cup winner will be
the only club representing
French-speaking Switzerland
in the top Swiss division.
The league championship
was won by
Zurich, who beat Basel 2:1
in their last game. Because
of serious violence involving
its fans, Basel will be
forced to play its first
three home games next season
in front of an empty stadium.
Cantons say
“Non” to English
The people of Thurgau and
Zug don’t want their primary
school French interfered with.
Following a similar move in
February by Schaffhausen, the
two cantons voted against a
move to teach English only to
children in this age group. Zug
and Thurgau have therefore
closed ranks with the majority
of German-speaking cantons
and accepted the recommendations
of the Swiss Conference
of Cantonal Ministers of Education.
Leuenberger and
four-wheel drives
Swiss President Moritz Leuenberger
attributes the current
fascination with four-wheel
drive cars to the sense of power
and superiority these vehicles
give their drivers in traffic. He
says their success is more than
a fashion trend. The Federal
Council has decided to adapt
an energy label to grade the energy
efficiency of cars on a
scale of A to G. It will now be
harder for heavier vehicles to
obtain a good efficiency rating.
King Roger
Roger Federer may have lost
the final of the French Open to
Rafael Nadal, but Grass King
Federer soundly trounced the
young Spaniard in England to
win his fourth Wimbledon
title. He was last beaten on
grass in the opening round of
Wimbledon back in 2002.
Euro 2008 is good for tourism
Switzerland Tourism plans to
invest CHF 15 million in an
advertising campaign for the
2008 European Cup. Director
Jürg Schmid says, “The aim is
for people to remember our
country for more than simply
staging a football competition.
The largest proportion of television
viewers will be Chinese.
For us that’s a huge opportunity!”
Number 1
in reinsurance
Swiss Re has completed its
takeover of GE Insurance
Solutions. Reinsurance giant
Swiss Re bought the insurance
business of General Electric for
a total of CHF 9.1 billion. The
takeover creates the world’s
largest and most diversified reinsurance
company. Credit Suisse
has sold Winterthur to the
French AXA insurance group.
Freddy Nock walks into the
record books
Forty-one-year-old tightrope
walker Freddy Nock from
Thurgau has a set a new world
record on the high wire. With
the aid of just a balancing pole
weighing 30 kilograms, he
walked 1122 metres along the
cable of the suspension
railway from
Schwägalp station
(1306m) to Säntis
(2502m).
“Big Ben” visits
Emmental
Ben Roethlisberger,
an American football
star with Swiss
roots, visited the
land of his forefathers
in May. “Big
Ben” and the rest of the Pittsburgh
Steelers won the Super
Bowl back in February. But he
was forced to undergo surgery
in June following a serious motorbike
accident in which he
was lucky to escape with a few
broken bones and concussion.
Falling rocks block
Gotthard motorway
Six huge boulders of up to
50 m 3 in size detached themselves
from the Gotthard massif
in Uri canton and plummeted
onto the A2 motorway below.
One of them, weighing dozens
of tons, fell on a car travelling
south. The vehicle caught fire,
killing the German couple inside.
The A2 was closed for an
extensive clear-up operation
because the rock face is still
unstable and there is a high risk
of further falls.
Coordinating education
The people of Switzerland
have voted overwhelmingly
(85.6%) in favour of revising
constitutional regulations on
education. The outcome of the
referendum means cantons will
now be obliged to coordinate
their education systems. However,
the turnout was poor at
only 27.23%.
93% of Swiss
have a mobile phone
The number of electronic devices
in use around Switzerland
has increased by 10.3% compared
with last year. Almost
93% of the Swiss population
owns a mobile phone. The
number of Internet users continues
to rise (70.1%), as does
the number of households with
a computer (90.8%).
Eurovision Song Contest
Switzerland did poorly at this
year‘s Eurovision Song Contest
with its band of musicians
from six nations – only one of
them Swiss. The entry finished
16th out of the total of 24 competing
countries. The outcome
raised questions about the selection
of the country’s musical
representatives. Most importantly,
when there are so many
great Swiss musicians, why
send an uninspiring group that
has relatively little to do with
Switzerland?
Italy win World Cup
Italy became world champions
when the squad beat France
in a penalty shoot-out in the
final of the 2006 World Cup
in Germany. Germany won
the third-place match against
Portugal, and Switzerland was
Group winner but dropped
out in the second round after
losing to Ukraine – also in a
penalty shoot-out. ALAIN WEY

Living abroad – with Swiss security
Peace of mind
comes from financial security
If you live abroad, reorganizing your health insurance is a
must. With a customized benefit plan, you can provide
security for yourself and your family. Set the course now!
As a Swiss citizen residing abroad, you can rely on
Soliswiss for professional help in developing a personalised
benefit scheme. Backed by our partner, Swiss health
insurer KPT/CPT, we broker health and accident insurance
products that offer worldwide coverage.
Take a closer look at our flexible investment and insurance
solutions. Please contact us.
Soliswiss Ltd.
Gutenbergstrasse 6
CH-3011 Berne
Switzerland
T +41 31 380 70 30
F +41 31 381 60 28
health@soliswiss.ch
www.soliswiss.ch